HOUSTON, Dec. 6, 2013 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- Last month, a team of physicians from the Uganda Heart Institute Ltd (UHI) visited Texas Children's Heart Center to observe best practices in pediatric cardiac care. The group, comprised of six doctors and nurses, was led by Rotarian physician Dr. Isaac Okullo. The visit was in partnership with Baylor College of Medicine (BCM), The Rotary Foundation, The Rotary Club of Kampala North and The Rotary Club of West U.

The Ugandan visitors received a $34,100 Vocational Training Team grant through The Rotary Foundation, which allowed them to travel to Houston to observe Texas Children's team in order to strengthen the capacity of support personnel to cardiac surgery teams based at the hospital in Kampala. The team's goal was to return to Uganda with an introduction to the skills to detect congenital heart disease in children earlier, reduce mortality during and post-surgery, as well as to better guide parents and guardians responsible for post-operative care.

Led by Dr. Daniel J. Penny, chief of cardiology at Texas Children's Hospital and section head and professor of pediatrics-cardiology at BCM, the group met with Heart Center physicians, observed patient consultations and spent time with Dr. Denton A. Cooley, world renowned heart surgeon and founder of the Texas Heart Institute.

"It was a pleasure hosting the Ugandan Heart Institute team for two weeks," said Penny. "I hope that they learned valuable lessons that they can take back to Uganda that will enhance the care their patients receive every day."

A second group of Ugandan physicians and nurses will arrive for a visit in March. The UHI is a semi-autonomous institution of Mulago Hospital Complex and serves as a center for the provision of curative and preventive cardiovascular and thoracic medical services. The Institute's vision is to become a center of excellence in the care of heart and heart related diseases in the Great Lakes region of Africa and beyond. More than 300 children have received surgery since 2009.

Texas Children's Hospital, a not-for-profit organization, is committed to creating a community of healthy children through excellence in patient care, education and research. Consistently ranked among the top children's hospitals in the nation, Texas Children's has recognized Centers of Excellence in multiple pediatric subspecialties including the Cancer and Heart Centers, and operates the largest primary pediatric care network in the country. Texas Children's has completed a $1.5 billion expansion, which includes the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute; Texas Children's Pavilion for Women, a comprehensive obstetrics/gynecology facility focusing on high-risk births; and Texas Children's Hospital West Campus, a community hospital in suburban West Houston. For more information on Texas Children's, go to http://www.texaschildrens.org/Ventricular-Septal-Defect/. Get the latest news from Texas Children's by visiting the online newsroom and on Twitter at twitter.com/texaschildrens.